2015 saw the debut of a new music festival for the punk rock loving crowd. Featuring headliners such as the Descendents and NOFX, It’s Not Dead was one of the best single days of music one could experience. It may have taken a little bit of time but the festival will be having its sophomore show back in the Inland Empire this August.
What’s different about IND in comparison to other music shows such as Vans Warped Tour or whatever thing KROQ radio is putting on is its embrace of everything influenced by punk rock subculture; art, literature, and in its first year even comics were represented. Joe Escalante of The Vandals showed off his comic book Fear of a Punk Planet, Jack Grisham of T.S.O.L read excerpts from his latest biography, even comic book writer Cecil Castellucci did a reading from her Star Wars novel.
Attendees could even take a walk through memory lane in the festival’s punk museum of photography featuring tons of never before seen photos of bands like Rancid and Green Day in candid or not so candid moments depending on who you ask.
2015’s show was a blast for me, personally, seeing bands I hadn’t caught in a few years; Reel Big Fish, Bad Religion, H2O, Ant-Flag, and Mike Hererra from MXPX playing with Goldfinger. It’s Not Dead isn’t some dumpster fire of pop culture like Hardwick fest was, it has an identity. Punk rock is on full display and while certain other things have been added they tie into the reason we all gather. Plus, the music here is 100x’s better (that’s just science speaking). While the line up may not be as strong as the first year, it’s solid and a good enough reason to get away from the world for a day.
It’s Not Dead 2 lineup:
- Rancid
- Dropkick Murphys
- Buck-O-Nine
- Buzzcocks
- The Casualties
- Channel 3
- Down By Law
- The Exploited
- The Flatliners
- GBH
- Good Riddance
- The Grim
- Guttermouth
- Heck
- The Interrupters
- Kevin Seconds
- Left Alone
- Love Canal
- Mad Caddies
- Madcap
- Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
- Murphy’s Law
- Off!
- Reagan Youth
- Rehab Bob
- Runaway Kids
- The Selecter
- Skating Polly
- Slaughter and the Dogs
- The Toasters
- Toxic Energy
- True Rivals
- Unit F
- The Unseen
- U.S. Bombs
- Voodoo Glow Skulls
- A Wilhelm Scream
- Wraths
No IND would be complete without the arts and those pieces are coming back as well. Returning to the festival this year are the pop-up art exhibition ‘Art’s Not Dead’ and the ‘Punks Well Read’ book signing and literary area, both curated by renowned punk rock photographer Lisa Johnson.
Authors confirmed for the literary area are some of punk’s most “eloquent” writers:
Keith Morris of Circle Jerks/Off! (My Damage)
Jim Lindberg of Pennywise/Wraths (Punk Rock Dad)
Jack Grisham of T.S.O.L. (releasing a brand new book that day at the festival)
Shawna Kenney (Live at the Safari Club: A People’s History of HarDCore/I Was A Teenage Dominatrix)
Jeff Alulis (NOFX’s Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories) with more to be announced.
It’s Not Dead 2 happens August 26, 2017 at the Glen Helen Festival Grounds in San Bernardino, CA. Tickets are available on line at the festival’s website.
